Page 950 - Disaster Accident
Bonfire at home claims 4 lives in UP
A bonfire at a home in Dumariyaganj area here today claimed lives of four members of a family, the police said. The deceased identified as Ziyo Begum (65), Kasim (45), Rukhsar Fatima (20) and Arman Ahmad (25) died due to suffocation, acting SDM Zuber Beg said. The bodies of victims have been sent for post-mortem, he said.
Scientist warns of more frequent cyclones in Arabian Sea
Cyclonic turbulence is expected to increase in the Arabian Sea over the coming years, a scientist warned on Friday.
Rabi Crops Sowing Crosses 609 Lakh Hactare
Wheat has been sown/transplanted in 295.53 lakh hectares, rice in 20.57 lakh hectares, pulses in 160.91 lakh hectares, coarse cereals in 53.88 lakh hectares and area sown under oilseeds is 78.62 lakh hectares.
Wheat acreage down by 4.66 pc so far: Agri Min
Area sown to wheat remained lower by 4.66 per cent at 295.53 lakh hectares so far in the ongoing 2017-18 rabi season in view of less coverage in some states, according to agriculture ministry data released today. Farmers had planted wheat in 309.99 lakh hectares in the same period last year. Wheat is the main rabi crop, sowing of which started in October and harvesting will begin from March. More than 80 per cent area has been sown as of now. As per the ministry's data, area sown to coarse cereals also remained lower at 53.88 lakh hectares so far in the current rabi (winter) season, as against 54.40 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. Similarly, area sown to oilseeds crops remained lower at 78.62 lakh hectares as against 81.61 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. However, rice acreage improved to 20.57 lakh hectares from 15.04 lakh hectares, while that of pulses rose to 160.91 lakh hectares from 154.05 lakh hectares in the period. Rabi crops have been planted in total ..
2666 people killed in road accidents in last 3 years in J-K
More than 2,500 people lost their lives in road accidents in Jammu and Kashmir in the last three years, the state government said today. There have been 15,996 accidents in the state in this period upto October 2017, resulting in 2,666 deaths and injuries to 22,021 persons, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said in a written reply to a question of National Conference MLC Shehnaz Ganai in the legislative council. Of these, 958 people were killed in 2016; 917 people in 2015; and 791 deaths in in 2017 upto October end. Mufti said the state government has taken multiple steps to restrict enforcement of traffic laws and rules, minimizing road accidents and prevention of loss of life and property. "The state government has directed all Deputy Commissioners to formulate district road safety action plan for the respective districts," said Mufti.
Wild swings occur in numbers of California mudslide missing
The number of missing after a California mudslide has fluctuated wildly, due to shifting definitions, the inherent uncertainty that follows a natural disaster, and just plain human error. Yesterday, the number provided by authorities went from 48, down to eight, then back up to 43. Officials say a clerical mistake led to the figure of eight being released. At a news conference yesterday where he said 43 were missing, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said the updated figure was an "inclusive" number that encompassed several definitions of "missing." "I know it sounds like it's a constantly moving number," Brown said. "There hasn't been a sound definition of what constitutes a missing person." It could include everything from urgent, active missing- persons cases being worked by detectives to calls received from acquaintances saying they hadn't been able to reach someone they believe was in Montecito on Tuesday morning when mudslides swept through town and killed 17
Torrential California mudslide takes lives of elderly, young
The oldest victim swept away in a California mudslide was Jim Mitchell, who had celebrated his 89th birthday the day before. He died with his wife of more than 50 years, Alice. The youngest, 3-year-old Kailly Benitez, was one of four children killed. As their names and those of 14 other victims were released Thursday, crews kept digging through the muck and rubble looking for more people. "At this moment, we are still looking for live victims," Santa Barbara fire Capt. Gary Pitney said. But he confessed: "The likelihood is increasing that we'll be finding bodies, not survivors. You have to start accepting the reality of that." The Mitchells were in love with their home in the seaside enclave of Montecito where they moved in 1995, according to their daughter. They also loved their dog, Gigi, who is missing. The other children killed were 6-year-old Peerawat Sutthithepn, 10-year-old Jonathan Benitez and 12-year-old Sawyer Corey. None of the adult dead shared their last ...
China pollution: Beijing to be hit by another bout of smog
China's capital Beijing and the neighbouring provinces will be affected with the fresh bout of smog following a considerable rise in the pollution levels, the China National Environmental Monitoring Centre warned today. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Shandong, Shanxi, Henan provinces will be hardest hit from January 12 to 17. Beijing and Tianjin issued orange alerts yesterday for air pollution in the coming days, advising children and the elderly to stay indoors. Under China's four-tier warning system, red is the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue. Certain construction activities were suspended and heavy-duty vehicles were pulled off the road, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The alert, the second highest level, will come into effect in Beijing from tomorrow and last until Monday, said the city's air pollution emergency response office. From January 13 to 15, parts of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, southern Shanxi, western Shandong as well as .
6.0 magnitude quake hits Myanmar
An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hit Myanmar's Bago region early on Friday, the Meteorology and Hydrology Department said. No damages or casualties were reported.
Sextuplets die soon after birth
A 32-year-old woman has lost her sextuplets, minutes after giving birth to them, at a private nursing home in Medininagar town of Palamu district. A resident of Kharsota village in Garhwa district, Sarita Devi, who was in the fifth month of her pregnancy, was rushed to a local nursing home yesterday after she developed a labour pain. A source in the nursing home said Sarita Devi had delivered three boys and three girls. None of the six premature babies survived, he added. A top official of the nursing home said the woman's condition is serious and the doctors are making all efforts for her recovery.
Water in Texas most contaminated across US: Report
Texas has the most contaminated water in the US, according to a report released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
6.0 magnitude earthquake hits Myanmar
An earthquake of 6.0 magnitude hit Myanmar's Bago region in the early hours of Friday, the Meteorology and Hydrology Department said.
Shallow 6.0-magnitude earthquake hits Myanmar: USGS
A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit a remote region of central Myanmar early today, the US Geological Survey said. The shallow quake struck some 40 kilometres west of the town of Pyu, the USGS said. It was followed by three weaker tremors in the region, all of magnitudes 5.3, the survey reported. "There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage," USGS said, but noted that residential structures in the region are typically vulnerable to earthquake shaking. The epicentre was located in a sparsely populated region between the capital Naypyidaw to the north and commercial hub Yangon to the south, at least 150 kilometres from each. Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, where six strong quakes of 7.0 magnitude or more struck between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through the centre of the country, according to the USGS. A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the ancient capital Bagan in central Myanmar killed three people in 2016, .
Fire breaks out in Rampur forest
A massive fire broke out on Thursday evening in a forest in Himachal Pradesh's Rampur area.The locals, reportedly, complained that the fire tenders were late on reaching the spot, which further aggravated the situation as the flames spread wildly through the forest.The fire tenders are actively engaged in dousing the flames.Further details are awaited.
Now, pvt companies can supply meals in trains
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has said that the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will allow companies to supply their ready-to-eat meals directly to passengers on trains.The minister took to Twitter on Thursday and said, "Aiming to ensuring hygienic and healthy food for passengers, Indian Railways to allow companies to supply their ready-to-eat meals directly to passengers on trains."Reportedly, Goyal had asked the Railway officials to ensure that the food served on trains should carry the information about the quantity and the contractor supplying it, besides the date of packing and a distinct symbol indicating if it is a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian item.According to the catering policy launched in February last year, all mobile pantry, food plazas, and base kitchens will be brought under the IRCTC.Aiming to ensure hygienic and healthy food for passengers on board, the IRCTC is putting efforts to improve catering services in trains.
Quake hits Myanmar
An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 on the Richter scale jolted Myanmar on Friday.The epicentre of the quake was located at 186 km North-West of Rangoon.No causality or loss of property has been reported.Further details are awaited.
Six injured after fire breaks out at toy factory
Six people were today injured when cylinders exploded after a fire broke out at a toy factory in north east Delhi's New Usmanpur area, police said. The fire started due to a short-circuit in the ground floor of a building that houses the toy factory, they added. Fire-tenders reached the spot and six people, who were helping in the fire-fighting operations, were injured when the cylinders exploded, the police said. They received seven to nine per cent burn injuries.
IndiGo staff accused of threatening pax at Patna airport
Budget carrier IndiGo, which recently got a dressing down from a Parliamentary panel for "rude" behaviour of its staff, has now been accused of "threatening" to use force against a group of passengers who allegedly refused to vacate its aircraft at Patna airport late last month. The incident, which took place on December 30 last year, comes nearly three months after the staff of the Gurgaon-based airline thrashed a passenger at the Delhi airport. "IndiGo airlines threatened passengers to get down from aircraft otherwise they will drag out passengers using CISF at Patna," Prasad Nandurkar, a passenger and chief executive officer of a private engineering college in Maharashtra said in his FB post. In the post, Nandurkar also alleged that the airline first allowed boarding and later cancelled the flight. IndiGo, however, in a statement said all the passengers cooperated and deplaned except for a group of 20 passengers who refused to deplane despite its staff "politely" ...
Fire breaks out at marriage lawn in Jaipur, probe ordered
A huge fire broke out at one of the marriage lawns at Entertainment Paradise Multiplex Cinema in Jaipur today, following which the lawn was seeled, the police said. However, no loss of life was reported in the accident, they said, adding nearly 20 fire tenders were rushed to douse the fire. According to Assistant Fire Officer Usha Sharma, the marriage decoration sets were completely gutted in the incident. Soon after the incident, Jaipur Mayor Ashok Lahoti gave orders to seel the marriage garden where fire broke out and constituted a committee to probe the matter. "A committee has been constituted to investigate the reasons that led to the incident and whether the fire safety norms were followed," Lahoti told PTI. The committee will also submit a detailed report on fire safety norms compliance by other marriage gardens as well, Lahoti added. The fire apparently broke out due to sparks of iron welding machine, which soon engulfed the entire lawn, the police said. No case
Son of former Jharkhand MLA dies in car accident
The son of a former Jharkhand MLA died early today after his car crashed into a divider in southwest Delhi's Vasant Kunj, the police said. The accident took place around 1 am when Sawarnim Shankar was driving from Andheria More to Mahipalpur. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead, they said. He was the son of former Jharkhand legislator Mani Shankar. It is suspected that the car was being driven at a high speed and the driver lost control of the vehicle, the police said.